The Outbreak of the English Civil War: August 1642–September 1643

The English Civil War took an inordinately long time to get started considering that by January 1642 both Charles and the junto were determined to settle their differences by force. Of course, civil war was only possible if each side had a committed popular following; and Charles’s bungled attempt to arrest the six junto members had temporarily discredited his cause. Not that Parliament was any more capable of raising an army at this stage. The people were deeply divided on certain issues, notably the settlement of religion, but they were neither prepared for war materially, nor ready to accept that the breach between king and Parliament was irreparable. They would be gradually disabused of this notion during the first half of 1642, as the pursuit of rival claims to the kingdom’s military resources generated controversy and a series of armed stand-offs. The fact that the nation still clung to the ideal of consensus and the rule of law made both sides anxious not to forfeit the constitutional high ground and thus hampered their military preparations. Nevertheless, while Charles and Parliament engaged in paper skirmishes over the spring and summer aimed partly at wooing moderate opinion, their enthusiasts in the counties battled (sometimes literally) to raise men and to seize arms and places of strategic importance. By the time Charles raised his standard at Nottingham on 22 August, sporadic fighting had broken out in a number of counties, and two of the kingdom’s major ports, Hull and Portsmouth, were under siege.